A Renovation of Emotions
Romans 12:2 Aramaic Bible And do not imitate this world, but be transformed by the renovation of your minds, and you shall distinguish what is the good, acceptable and perfect will of God.
Emotion: a natural, instinctive state of mind deriving from one’s circumstances, mood, or relationships with others
5 Basic Human Emotions: Joy, fear, sadness, disgust, and anger
Affirmation #1 It is absolutely okay to feel what you feel.
Affirmation #2 God wants an emotional relationship with you that is full of feelings!
Mark 12:30 NKJV “’And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment.”
Affirmation #3 You are not your emotions, but your emotions are valid.
Affirmation #4 The presence of your real feelings does not equate to false faith!
1 Peter 5:6-7 AMP Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God [set aside self-righteous pride], so that He may exalt you [to a place of honor in His service] at the appropriate time, casting all your cares [all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares about you [with deepest affection, and watches over you very carefully].
“The Enemy’s plan from the beginning was to assault the heart …
Make them so busy they ignore the heart. Wound them so deeply they don’t want a heart. Twist their theology so they despise the heart. Take away their courage. Destroy their creativity. Make intimacy with God impossible for them.” — John Eldregde, “Waking the Dead”
• Emotions ENABLE us to connect to God, our own hearts and others.
• Emotions REVEAL the truth about what we believe about God, ourselves and the world around us.
A Renovation of Emotions:
- Name it.
You cannot change what you cannot name.
Mark 5:8-9 NKJV For He said to him, “Come out of the man, unclean spirit!” Then He asked him, “What is your name?” And he answered, saying, “My name is Legion; for we are many.”
“Every emotion, though horizontally provoked, nevertheless reflects something about the vertical dimension: our relationship with God.” — Dr. Dan B. Allender
A Renovation of Emotions:
- Face it.
The longer we take to FACE IT, the longer it takes to FIX IT.
Numbers 21:8 NIV The Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.”
A Renovation of Emotions:
- Invite God into it.
• Worship
Psalm 22:3 AMPC But You are holy, O You Who dwell in [the holy place where] the praises of Israel [are offered].
• Yielding
Galatians 5:22-25 CEV God’s Spirit makes us loving, happy, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, and self-controlled. There is no law against behaving in any of these ways. And because we belong to Christ Jesus, we have killed our selfish feelings and desires. God’s Spirit has given us life, and so we should follow the Spirit.
Reflection Questions:
Name it. — If I asked my emotion what its name is, what would it say?
Face it. — If I asked my emotion why it’s there, what would it say?
Allow God into it. — If I asked God into my emotions, what would He do?
